Daffodils as potential crops of galanthamine. Assessment of more than 100 ornamental varieties for their alkaloid content and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity

Many plant varieties of Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae) are cultivated on a large scale for ornamental purposes but they are also known to contain galanthamine, a bioactive alkaloid used in antiacetylcholinesterasic therapy in Alzheimer's disease.More than 100 ornamental varieties of Narcissus, using leaves and bulbs separately, were screened for their galanthamine content as well as their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity in the search for new potential sources of galanthamine.GC–MS was used for the quantitative analysis of galanthamine, and the biological activity was determined by an acetylcholinesterase in vitro assay.Galanthamine was found to occur in the leaves or bulbs of 97 ornamental varieties, the maximal amount being 0.46% referred to DW in the leaves of Narcissus hispanicus, and 0.14% in the bulbs of the cultivar ‘Yellow Wings’. Sanguinine, an even more powerful inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase than galanthamine, was also found in the leaves and bulbs of 22 ornamental varieties of Narcissus, which exhibited a high acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.

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► Galanthamine from Narcissus plants is used to treat Alzheimer's disease.
► 105 ornamental varieties were screened as new potential sources of galanthamine.
► Galanthamine and AChE-inhibitory activity were determined in bulbs and leaves.
► Leaves of N. hispanicus contained the highest level of galanthamine (4.65 mg/g DW).
► Narcissus cultivar ‘Snowball’ leaves showed the strongest AChE-inhibitory activity.